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Friday, October 17, 2014

THE BREWSPAPER / RICH FLAVORED SEASONAL BEERS / U.S. & CALIFORNIA

Here’s Firestone Walker Brewing Co.’s twist on the German
Märzen bier: It’s a Paso Märzen. Traditional imported malts offer subtle
honey-like aromas with hints of Noble hop spice. The stars of this brew are the imported
Pilsner and Vienna malts that offer malty sweetness that carry through to the
end. German Hallertau hops add rich
Noble hop character to balance this exceptional Marzen. This beer is 100%
stainless steel and gets the name Oaktoberfest as an ode to FW's hometown, Paso
Robles, Spanish for "Pass of The Oaks".

AUTUMN ADVENTURE--Indian summer is
fading and Fall’s true colors are beginning to show themselves-- the same
colors as the wide array of craft beers produced by the country’s small and
independent brewers this season. Just in time for fall festivities,
CraftBeer.com—the Brewers Association (BA) website for beer lovers—has curated
a list of these choice seasonal beers from their brewery members.Take the adventure taste an available NEW
seasonable brew from your favorite retailer.

“Fall
is one of the seasons craft brewers love best thanks to its rich and varied
crops and seasonal spices,” said Julia Herz, publisher of CraftBeer.com and
Brewers Association craft beer program director. “Small and independent brewers
utilize autumn’s selection of ingredients to create full-bodied beers with
flavor profiles to fit the more brisk fall weather.”

Looking
at annual data, seasonal beers peak in interest and sales every October thanks
to a signature fall flavor: pumpkin. Pumpkin beer is the undisputed heavyweight
champion of the seasonal world—Google searches for “pumpkin beer” alone triumph
over Google searches for all four seasonals (“winter beer” + “spring beer” +
“summer beer” + “fall beer”). Last year, pumpkin beers lead a surge in seasonal
sales, turning an estimated 125,000 lag in case sales into a 300,000 case
surplus that briefly put seasonals back at the front of the craft beer pack,
ahead of the ever popular India pale ale.

Make
it a crisp, crackling fall with some of these pumpkin beers and other tasty
seasonal offerings from U.S. craft brewers:

The Brewspaper is a regular column appearing in Pillar to Post online magazine. This blog is a media partner with West Coaster, a Southern California-based craft beer centric print publication and website: www.westcoastersd.com.